Hollow drum grater with feed screw reinforcing member



5 J. E. RUSTIC] 2,529,473

HOLLOW DRUM GRATER WITH FEED SCREW REINFORCING MEMBER Filed June 22, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /M mV ATTORNEY Nov. 7, 1950 J. E. RUSTIC! 2,529,473

HOLLOW 0mm GRATER WITH FEED SCREW REINFORCING MEMBER Filed June 22, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ju 4 5 ,6 79

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ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE HOLLOW DRUM JGRATER WITH FEED,

SCREW REINFORCING MEMBER Joseph E. Rustici, Stamford, Conn.

Application June 22, 1946, Serial No. 678,620 (01. 146-92) I 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a, food grater, and more particularly to a grater adapted to grate a relatively hard substance such as hardened cheese.

I have conceived and reduced to practice an improved grater in which the grating element is cylindrical and formed of very thin sheet metal. This thin sheet metal'when .punchedg'yields a barbed grating surface that is extremely effective for the general purpose indicated. Moreover, it remains effective for long periods of time. However, a, thin barbed surface as described, is relatively fragile so that when hard cheese is pressed thereagainst, it will bend and otherwise yield and become deformed.

As part of my invention I have conceived and applied a novel reinforcing means to a thin sheet metal grater of the type described, the reinforcing means acting effectively to maintain-the sheet metal surface in its proper form while in no way hindering its operation and function.

As a feature of this part of'my invention, I utilize a thin rib-like reinforcing member within the cylindrical form of the thin sheet metal grater, and preferably the-"reinforcing member may take the form of a-feed screw.

Asa further feature of the invention, I arrange the casing of my grater so'that the cheese to be grated will lie in contact with a considerable po'rtionof the grater extending upwardlyfrom its lowermostposition. In this-way, the cheese is more effectively grated and "considerably less thereof will move against the end surface defining the mouth between the: chamber in which thecheese lies,- and the; chamber in which the'grater" rotates. V v

' I have thus?- outlined rather broadly' the more important features ofmy invention in order that the" detailed description thereof that follows-may be'fbetter understood, and in order that my contribution to the "art may be better appreciated.

There are; of c'ourse,' additional features of: my invention that willbe described hereinafter and which, will form the subject of the claims appended hereto; Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception on which my disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of my invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims to be granted me shall ,be of suflicient breadth to preventthe appropriation of my invention by those skilled intheartjj,

. Referringnow to the drawings, Fig. 1 is aperspective; View. of the grater of my invention. Fig. 2 .is a vertical section taken along lines 22' of Fig. 1. Fig- 3 is a"vertical'secti on taken along lines 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. '4" is an explodedview of a part of the thin sheet metal grater and the reinforcing member utilized therewith.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, my cheese grater comprisesa casing I0 supported by a bracket l I whereby it may be secured through the screw fastening member l2 to a table, stand, or the like. As a matter of fact, the casing may be secured in many ways so as to be held stationary during the grating operation.

The casing Ill comprises a lower chamber 13 and an upper chamber I4. The side plates [5 of the upper chamber are connected at their upper ends by a plate [6 utilized to guide a rod l'l having secured at its upperend a knob [8 whereby downward pressure may be applied to the rod I 1; A pressure plate i9 is secured to the lowerend of the rod I! and it is throughmeans of this pressure plate 19 that cheese is pressed downwardly against the grater to be presently described. One end wall of the upper chamber [4 is open as indicated at 20 for the insertion of the cheese, the other end of the chamber It being closed by an end wall 2|.

The grater of my invention is in the form of a thin cylindrical sheet metal member 22 having a surface that is pierced to form a series of barbs 23 that are extremely effective for grating cheese or the like. For supporting and rotating the grater 22 in the chamber 13, Ipreferably utilize a shaft 24 having formed integrally with one end thereof a plate 25 onto which one end of the cylindrical grater 22 is fitted as best seen in Fig. 3. Also, as best seen in Fig. 3, the shaft 24. is formed with a bearing portion 26 whereby it is supported at its right hand end in a bearing 21 of the casing l0. Aturning handle 28 may be fitted onto the end 29 of the shaft 24 and held thereon by a screw fastener30 in a conventional manner.

The left hand end of the shaft 24 is formed with spider plate 38 is secured to. the left end ofthei thin cylindrical sheet metal grater 22 as best seen at 39 in Fig. 4. It is now obvious that rotation of the shaft. 24 by the handle 28 will. act

to rotate the said shaft and that this rotation will rotate the-cylindricalgrater 22 through the medium of lugs 36 and 31.

Those skilled in the art will fully appreciate that the considerable force required to press hard cheese through pressure plate I 9 against grater- 22 to grate the cheese, will act to bend and otherwise deform the said grater.

To arrange for athicker sheet materialis quite simple, but barbsformed in thicker sheet metal will not function as,

3 well as the thinner sheet metal utilized by me, and in addition, thick sheet metal is more diificult to fabricate into a barbed cylinder. To reinforce the relatively thin sheet metal of; thefgrater 22, the shaft 24 has secured thereto a screw-like rib member 40, the periphery 4! of which lies against the inner surface of the grater and reinforces the grater in a manner that will bequite apparent to, those skilled in the art. It should be emphasized that while I prefer to utilize a screw form of reinforcing member, it is really possible to use any other type of rib-like structure that will reinforce the sheet metal but will not obstruct or hinder its operation and the efiiciency of the barbs thereof.

The chamber 13 has a sloping lower wall 42 terminating in a discharge mouth 43. In vertical alignment with this discharge mouth there are a series of relatively large openings Ml in the grater 22-. It will be well at this point to indicate further that the grater 2i!- is positioned, as best seen in Fig. 2, across the mouth between'chamber M and chamber l3 so that no cheesecan be sent into the chamber l-3 except through the medium of the barb holes of the grater, or by passagev through the. space between the grater 22' and the lower edge 2 la of the wall 2L It will be well to note further at thispoint that any cheese in the chamber 1-4 will be in contact with the grater 22"during a considerable movement of the; grater 'sur-. face upwardly rather than downwardly; This is possible because of the olfsetrelationship between. chamber M andchamber: I13.

In operation, the cheese is inserted into the chamber 14- through the opening 20 and pressure is applied thereag-ainstbypressure plate l 9, forcing the cheese against the surfaceof the grater 2-2 The barbs 23 grate the cheese and it will drop down into the interior of the grater where it will tend to lie on the bottom inside surface thereof rather than rotate with the grater. The

cheese will, therefore, befed by the screw f eed member 40 towardand into openings 44 of grater 22 and downwardly through the mouth 53 "ofthe chamber i3. Some-of the-cheese will, of course,- adhere to the surface of the grater between the barbs thereof and will move past thelower edge Zia of the end wall 21 and thus be dropped ontbthe sloping surface 42-ofthe chamber I3; This cheese will gradually move by' gravity 'to the mouth 43. g

I believe the construction and the functioning of my invention will vnow be apparent to'fthojse skilled in the art.

.I now claim: 7 Y

, In a e voi. t efi a ees ri edl a, c sin th n, ind sheet m alerater av nea ser es ofn ch grater q ti ns on s. ou r pe hery, means her b sa dindrical r t r r ta es n a predetermined axis relatively to said casing, a feeclscrew having adiameter equal to the internal. diameter, of said cylindrical gratersupported within said cylindrical grater andhaving a con,- tinuous outer rib-like surface applied against the inner surface. of said'grater for reinforcing t-he grater against pressure applied, thereto while the continuous surface ofsaid screw feedsthe grated product toward one end Qf'said cylindrical grater, means whereby said feedscrew and; c lindrical grater are rotated together in said predetermined axis, said feed screw terminating-within said cyby said feed screw for movement outwardly of said cylindrical grater.

2. In a device of the class described, a casing, a, thin cylindrical sheet metal grater having a series of punched grater portions onits outer periphery mounted for rotation in a predetermined axis within said casing, a feed screw having a portion coaxial with said cylindrical grater and supported within said cylindrical grater, said feed screw haying; also a continuous outer rib-like surface extending from said coaxial portion continuously against the inner surface of said grater for reinforcing the grater against pressure applied thereto. meanswhereby said feed screw and cylindrical grater are rotated together, said feed screw terminating within said cylindrical grater in spaced relation to said one end thereof, and said one end having a relatively large opening to receive the grated'zprodnct as. fed by said feedscrewfor movementoutwardly of said cylindrical grater.

3. In a device of the class described, a casing; a thin cylindrical sheetmetal' grater having aseries of punched grateriportionson its. outerperiphs ery mounted for-rotation in apredetermined axis within said casing, afeed screw supported; with; in said cylindrical grater with: an axial portion thereof coaxial with: said grater andihaving an outer ribelike surface extending from the: said axial portionlthereof continuously toward .and against the inner surface-of said grater for reinforcing the grater against pressure;- applied there to, means for rotating said graterandifeedscrew together insaid predeterminedaxissaid cylindrical grater havinga, series; of: relatively large.op8n,-. ings, located .in a position to receive, the-grated; product. as propelledby said feed :screw' whereb said product.v will drop outwardly from within-the.

grater. 7 ,1 I -V 4.. In. a'deviceof'the class; described, an upper chamben-forhousing apiece-of material tq'zbe grated, a. lower chamber in communication with said; upp r chamber-throu h a mou h. ater: ally offset re1ativelyto,.-saidup eechamber, athin cylindrical sheetmetal grater having a series, of punched'sra rpo io s 611 its ut r er p e y means mounting said; grater the; lower chamber with'a portion of its periphery always positioned across said mouth, said mouth exposing to said: upper-chamber a upwardlyextending part-of said grater peripherysubstantially larger than the-downwardly extendingportion-thereof so exposed so thatthe-materialto be grated :may. be forced against the cylindrical grater surface with a substantial portion of the. material on saidupwardly extendingpartof the grater periphery and, a feed screw withinsaid grater having a continuous. outer rib-like surface against the; inner; surface of said grater for reinforcing the grateragainst pressure applied thereto, bythe material in, said, upper chamber trr beggratedr JOSEPH, E. RUSTICL EE ENGES, CIT D The following references.- are' of. record-"in the fileof: this patent:

I v UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

